Nevada town plans statue to honor Howard Hughes

Howard Hughes could have tied the knot with the Hollywood glamour girl anywhere in the world. But the billionaire's obsession with privacy prompted him to marry actress Jean Peters in the remote mining town of Tonopah 50 years ago Friday.

After failing in an effort to save the improbable site of the secret Jan. 12, 1957 wedding -- the L&L Motel -- a group of Tonopah residents has announced plans to commemorate the event by building a life-size statue of the couple.

The group led by Tonopah businessman Bob Perchetti also is pursuing plans to open a Howard Hughes Museum and Wedding Chapel across the street from where the motel stood until it was razed about 18 months ago after the town board decided it would be too expensive to restore.